Why We Still Need the Marines

Their unique combination of sea, land and air capabilities makes them an indispensable rapid response force.

By

Mackubin Thomas Owens

Updated May 2, 2011 12:01 a.m. ET

In Washington these days, the Defense Department is looking to cut its budget and the Marine Corps especially is reviewing its future role. Defense Secretary Robert Gates has spoken of "anxiety" that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have turned the Corps into a "second land army," and he has cancelled major Marine weapons systems, such as the Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle. No institution is sacrosanct, so it's worth asking: Why should we maintain the Marine Corps in the future?